Housewife Gone Wild

Chapter 24

Wendy made me a nutritious breakfast. I was halfway through my meal when Yvonne came bounding in. “Mom, you’re not going to work today,” she declared. “You have to stay home and play with me.”

I looked at her while spooning my gruel. “From now on, I will be going back to work,” I said. “But we’ll sign you up for some fun classes–you’ll have teachers and classmates to keep you company.”

Yvonne’s face paled at the mention of classes. In an instant, she was pointing at me, her voice rising to a wail. “I don’t want classes. You’re mean. I hate you. I’m telling Grandma.” She turned and ran toward the door to find her grandmother.

“Come back,” I commanded, my voice icy. “Go ahead–try telling on me.”

Yvonne’s face was still wet with crocodile tears. She turned to look at me, her eyes wide–almost like she was seeing me for the first time. And for just a second, I caught a flicker of fear.

of lemon water, and fixed her with a cold stare. “Yvonne, I’m your mother.

have a different mother, go ask your father. I won’t stand in your

stupid. She blinked, getting the message quickly. After a pause, she inched closer, clutching my arm. “Mom, I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I won’t talk

daughter–so clever and perceptive. It hurt to remember how, in my previous life, she’d still been taking Tracy’s

pain, that I was my own worst

and I didn’t know how to fix it. All I wanted was to

us to offer support rather than impose limitations, to foster happiness instead of hardship, and

in the 80s and 90s, caught between these new ideas and how we

I’ve got work soon.” Rubbing my temples, I nudged Yvonne toward her pony and went upstairs to

neck and back. Back then, I would’ve covered every one,

I didn’t bother hiding a single one. Why should I? A little passion between